"Today we are announcing the project release of MeeGo v1.0. This release provides developers with a stable core foundation for application development and a rich user experience for Netbooks. The MeeGo Netbook user experience is the first to appear, with the development of the MeeGo Handset user experience moving to the open in June."

...with the overhyped "social networking" crap polluting the desktop as a reason for *not installing* it.

It's backed by Intel and Nokia, though, so it might succeed. Just hope that it won't end up completely dominating the "desktop" linux distribution world and become another Microsoft in that area. We already rely too much on Intel in the computer world...

It's backed by Intel and Nokia, though, so it might succeed. Just hope that it won't end up completely dominating the "desktop" linux distribution world and become another Microsoft in that area. We already rely too much on Intel in the computer world...

MeeGo is not really targeting desktop. Think of it as "real linux" version of Android and you are on the right ballpark.

Sorry for the edit. Thought you did not see it yet.
Your point makes sense. Though linux users have proven to accept (unneeded and painful) breakthrough changes like the introduction of PulseAudio in the long run. Wait and see...

Well, you make a point, but it does not excuse introduction of a half-baked soft in all linux distros. A simple ALSA patch should do the trick. And if pulse is really needed (which I heavily doubt), then it should be stabilized before introduction.

Stabilization without introduction is idealistic but not practical with the current model. Things that work well in a test environment even with a large QA team would have problems in the real world due to the enormous amount of variations in hardware for something as fundamental as a sound system. It is impossible that progress in such cases will be linear.

Every single change in potentially disruptive and free software development is based on rapid releases and quick iterations to gain maturity over time. That doesn't mean that things cannot be improved. For ex: more test cases can help.

Just hope that it won't end up completely dominating the "desktop" linux distribution world and become another Microsoft in that area.

It just can't, never, ever. It's impossible. The code is GPL, which mean the product will always be free as in free speech. Lock in is impossible. Undocumented standard is impossible. Becoming Microsoft is impossible.

This is incorrect. The stuff you have seen is current iteration of "Netbook UX" (user experience) for MeeGo, which is indeed basically new Moblin.

The Handset UX will be released at a later date.

But don't you think that having just a single code base (let's call it: Core UX) implemented on Qt would have done their lives easier? and the specific things for netbooks and phones coming on top of that? Having two or more "personalities" on top of the core OS will be a headache.

Ok, I don't have any technical knowledge on Meego/Maemo/Moblin so I'm just speculating here.

But don't you think that having just a single code base (let's call it: Core UX) implemented on Qt would have done their lives easier?

Not really at this timeframe.

It would make the life easier if it was there already, but these people have products to deliver and deadlines to meet - and code that exist already.

The important thing is that application developers have a consistent api to develop against. Whether the window manager is coded with xlib or turtles does not make or break the platform, even thought in the long run maintenance of consistent system is cheaper.

I must confess that my first impression is very positive and, shame on me, it's based only on the screenshot on the linked page.
Just like neolander, I think the "social networking" thing is just too much.

I've not tried it yet but the screenshots and text are telling me that this is basically an updated moblin w/ chrome and social networking tagged on? What has been took/ developed from Maemo here?

I've not had funs to get one but I was quite excited after having a go with Maemo 5 on the N900 and I was looking forward to how that would progress but it seems Maemo 5 could be its last major version- assassinated by 'super moblin'.

I'm sure I'd heard recently that Meego was not to be ported to the N900 but now it seems it is. I was very keen on the N900 / Maemo 5+ but now I need to try this out and I'm not so sure anymore as moblin didn't impress me. Maemo 5 being based upon Debian was key to its cool.

Agreed, also screenshot looks not at all tuned to mobile use. It required a large screen in both directions. (thought that is 'fixable')

For me it all looks feels and for all purposes -is- Moblin. Not Maemo. Sure there working on it, but as it looks now, it has none of the cool underpinnings (debian/ubuntu), none of the gui nokia developed the last couple of years (and works very well on PR1.2), everybody has to -again- recompile there apps, even worse repackage it.

I really really hope that Nokia will release the entire Maemo codebase (the closed parts) to the community.

They wanted a community, they got it and immediately wanted a new community. (roll over to meego or die)

Then please give the ones left behind the entire thing they signed up for.

At least then we can continue making our N900 devices cool for years to come. Make decent ports to devices like the beagleboard and carputers. Fix the unmaintained packages issues and become closer/sticky to upstream debian/ubuntu sources.

I just tried it on an Aspire One 110, booted off an USB stick. I certainly haven't seen such a dumbed down interface for a while. I guess it's OK for kids, teens or grandmas, but for the average user, it's just too much hand-holding. Not to mention that even though it connected via WiFi, after two minutes the connection just gave up and I couldn't even ping the router.
It took me about 3 minutes to figure out how to turn the darn thing off. The only way was the power button, since I couldn't even find a terminal to type shutdown into.

Perhaps it could be useful in conjunction with the lighter-weight KOffice 2.2 on a netbook.

Several comments on this thread have managed to put me off, however. Firstly, the only available browser seems to be Chromium. There seems to be no way to use any applications other than those in the Meego repository, and there are none of those (so no KOffice 2.2).

Hmmm.

I think I'll stick with waht I have got running now. Standard Kubuntu Lucid, with the Lancelot menu with "show categories in panel" option, (also enabled the classic menus via right-click on the desktop), and with the panel moved to the left-hand edge of the netbook screen (vertical panel). Also I have enabled several keyborad shortcuts to start common applications. This gives me a standard KDE4 environment running happily on the netbook.

This arrangement also maximises vertical screen real-estate (essential for a netbook) and it allows me to run KOffice 2.2 as the Office suite (which is ideal for a netbook since KOffice 2.2 is very functional but still lighter weight than OpenOffice, and the KOffice 2.2 UI is designed with a widescreen in mind, and consequently it has better use of vertical screen real-estate). Now all I need is to find a set of Kubuntu backport packages for KOffice 2.2.

Anybody had any luck yet with that last step?

This page seems to be saying that a port of KOffice 2.2 to the Kubuntu backports is low urgency, and that it hasn't been done yet.